


Vanilla Shake

by Nickie



Category: One Piece
Genre: Fast Food, Fluff without Plot, M/M, there's really no plot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-22
Updated: 2020-01-22
Packaged: 2021-02-27 08:15:44
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,141
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22363978
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Nickie/pseuds/Nickie
Summary: Sanji hates fast food, until he orders from a handsome fast food retaurant worker.
Relationships: Roronoa Zoro/Vinsmoke Sanji
Comments: 23
Kudos: 164





	Vanilla Shake

**Author's Note:**

> there's really no plot in this one. it's a short thing i wrote to ease myself back into writing and i had fun doing that! hope you like it too ♥
> 
> [twitter](https://twitter.com/ficnicks) | [curiouscat](https://curiouscat.me/ficnicks)

If there’s one thing that Sanji despises with his whole being, it’s fast food. As a culinary lover, Sanji can’t wrap his mind around the fact that people can voluntarily eat such trash food, prepared with no second thought or heart put into it. Ten or fifteen minutes of saved time are not worth the bland, papery taste that makes his gag reflex this much more evident. Sanji prefers to cook for himself; stay up a bit longer the day before to prepare the ingredients and then wake up early the next day to cook a nutritional breakfast, light but balanced lunch and sometimes even a soup for later. And if he happens to eat out, he makes sure to have enough spare time to wait at the restaurant for his order as much as needed and be able to enjoy it to the fullest. Although he understands why fast foods are so popular in a society that tells you to do everything faster, fuller, bigger, his taste buds and stomach just can’t fathom it this well.

Unfortunately, there are not many people who share the same opinion as Sanji, at least not in his friends’ circle. If they are out together, they very occasionally, if ever, dine at a fancy restaurant. If Sanji wants to eat something decent, most often than not he has to cook himself and invite his friends over. Not that he minds, he loves cooking for others and see them enjoy what he’s made. He just wishes they would share his love for exquisite tastes.

“Sanji, it’s uncomfortable when you just sit there and look at us eating” Nami complains when putting a hamburger down on its wrapper, having taken a bite. They are sitting at one of the tables on the side of the food court, taking a break from their unsuccessful hunt for Franky’s gift. His birthday is nearing and they are still empty-handed, even with the help of his girlfriend Robin. She is the one who actually speaks up next, a french fry held elegantly in her hand.

“Aren’t you hungry, Sanji?” Robin sounds concerned and moves her fries closer to Sanji “You can take one if you want”

“No no no” Sanji waves his hands energetically in front of himself. His sweet friend is definitely too good for him, going as far as sharing her meal voluntarily. Heart warmer because of that gesture, he has to reject her proposal.

“Why don’t you buy something for yourself and give it to me?” the words would be barely audible to anyone outside their group but all of his friends got used to the fact that Luffy speaks with his mouth full nearly all day. The boy’s stomach is bottomless and he’s truly happy only if he has food and his friends with himself. In that particular order.

“If you want more just go and buy it, moron!” Nami smacks Luffy on the back of his head but the boy only giggles and reaches for yet another burger. The red-haired girl lets out a dramatic sigh, body slumping against the plastic chair. “Where is Vivi when I need her most?”

Robin chuckles silently behind her hand, loving when her friends bicker around so joyfully. A smile slides onto Sanji’s face as well. His two girl friends were so amazing, he would sacrifice everything to be in the place of Franky or Vivi. Being single in a group of friends where everyone had a date mostly sucks, but Sanji isn’t in the mood to self-pity himself right now. Not when Robin is gently poking his shoulder.

“Maybe you should get a shake at least?” she asks, her eyebrows furrowed.

“Yeah, even a shake is fine” Nami chimes in, leaning over the table to look at Sanji better. “I know you hate fast food, but I feel horrible eating when you just...” she takes a pause to bite into her hamburger before continuing, a bit of sauce smeared on her lips “sit there”

“Okay, if my beautiful ladies want me to get a shake, I will do it” Sanji isn’t even trying to fight. Both Nami and Robin know Sanji has a soft spot for them, but they aren’t complaining. It’s not like they are into taking advantage of his womanizer side, but it has its positives.

Sanji gets up and walks along the long line of fast-food restaurants slowly. He studies them all carefully and comes to a not-so-surprising conclusion – they all sell identical stuff. Every stand has its own logo and colour scheme but in the end they all offer fries, burgers and chicken nuggets. The lack of variety only adds to Sanji’s hate of fast food but he decides to just get it over with and buy the shake.

From the sea of colourful logos he chooses the one his friends ordered from earlier and takes his place at the end of the queue. The screens above scream in bold about their latest coupons, offers and burgers-of-the-month. Sanji scowls at the huge picture of a double hamburger, cheese oozing at the sides along with the sauce. He just can’t wrap his mind around the fact that some people find it appealing.

His eyes are still glued to the illuminating displays when it’s his time to order and he moves two steps closer before his thighs hit the edge of the counter.

“Hi, what can I get for you?”

Sanji moves his gaze away when he finally chooses the taste of the milkshake and stops it on the worker in front of him when he suddenly forgets why he’s even there. The man is looking at him curiously, green hair swiped away from his face in an unruly yet well-calculated mess. He looks tired, probably nearing the end of his shift, but is still giving Sanji a polite smile with a slight tilt of his head.

“Oh” the blond reminds himself to speak, his lips formed in a circle. It’s not the first time he feels like that, he’s had unexpected crushes in his life but it’s never been this intense with another man. His mind is whirling, searching for something, anything really that he could say or do in this situation. “A shake. Vanilla, please”

The man’s eyebrow twitches upwards for a mere second, almost unnoticeably, in an act of amusement but he keeps it professional nonetheless and pushes a few buttons on the cash register. Sanji notices the way three gold earrings jingle when the man bows his head slightly and his mind joyfully notes he can compliment the man on that maybe to start a conversation. However, it looks like some sort of short circuit occurred on the way from his head to his mouth because Sanji just keeps staring at the man with doe eyes.

“Very well. What would you say for our newest burger? It’s filled with our delicious sauce and-”

“Yes”

The man lowers his hand surprised after he raised it up to point to the right picture on the screen above his head. Sanji can only stare at the green-haired worker with round eyes, trying to act like he didn’t just examine how the man’s arm muscles flexed as he lifted his hand.

“Alright” the man gives Sanji a low chuckle and adds the hamburger to the receipt before peeking at the blond shortly. “In a set with our new fries and coke?”

“Yes” Sanji repeats like a broken record. He’s ready to buy anything the man offers, be it a hamburger or a Porsche. Sanji’s robot-like state forces the man to bark out a short laughter, fingers still busy with the cash register.

“Seems like you’re in for something new”

Sanji could swear the man gave him a briefest but most meaningful glance after saying those words. His ears get hot when his mind starts rotating about the possible meaning of that last sentence and he’s sure any more of that and he would get light-headed. Luckily the man taps his index finger on the machine to bring Sanji back to earth.

“It will be ten bucks”

Sanji wishes those weren’t his fingers that are trembling when he is pulling out the debit card from his wallet. He also wishes he didn’t drop the card onto the terminal like a total klutz. His eyes travel from side to side, but it seems he’s the only one ordering at the moment so he’s saved from total embarrassment. If he doesn’t count the gorgeous man right in front of him, who passes him the receipt with a small smile.

“Thank you, I will get your order ready in a minute”

With a soft nod, Sanji watches the man turning around to shout towards the kitchen, asking for his burger. This is when he finally looks down at the receipt and groans internally. Did he really just ordered all of this junk food because the man’s cute? Is he really that easy? This time, Sanji groans out loud, hand slowly sliding down the side of his face. He’s being ridiculous.

“There you go” the restaurant’s worker extends his arms with the tray over the counter and Sanji does his best to look as unbothered as possible, obviously not blushing when mumbling a silent “thanks” and speeding away from there. He takes a long sip of his shake, the familiar feeling of coldness at the front of his head, the so-called “brain freeze”, helping him sober up and hopefully taking away the redness from his cheekbones. As he reaches the table his friends are occupying, half of his shake is gone and his sinuses about to explode from the numbing sensation. Nami notices him first and her eyebrows fly up her forehead at the sight of his full tray. But it’s Luffy who speaks up, the chair rattling as he springs out to his legs.

“Sanji! So you bought something for me!” he screams eagerly but his outburst is short-lived as the red-haired woman pulls him back down by his elbow harshly.

“Stop embarrassing us, Luffy!” her voice is low and merciless. Unbothered, Luffy lets out his signature giggle and stretches his arms in Sanji’s direction. As much as the blond man loves Nami, he would be scared in Luffy’s shoes, but this guy feared nothing.

“Yeah, that’s for you” Sanji’s grateful his friend is a glutton so he can push the responsibility and his tray to said man. It would be difficult to explain why him, a chief hater of anything fast food, is suddenly bringing a full tray. Not that it matters right now, because even if he was showered with questions, his mind is filled with green and grey.

Of course, Sanji cannot stop thinking about the green-haired man. Whatever he’s doing, there’s always the image of the fast food restaurant worker smiling at him charmingly. God, it’s been a while since he had a crush this intense. He’s fallen for many girls, even a guy here and there (much to his dismay at the very beginning) but this man swooped him off his feet like some freaking prince charming does to a princess. Sanji feels his cheeks heating up at the ridiculous thought but doesn’t fight it as it’s futile. His mind will travel back to the handsome man any given chance.

Uncontrollably (that’s what Sanji says to himself, at least) the restaurant area of the mall is visited by Sanji more often. He finds himself strolling back and forth the alley, glancing at the fast food restaurant but when he doesn’t catch a blur of green, his heart sinks and he gets back home a bit heavier than he would like to admit.

It’s around his third or fourth attempt when he meets the guy again. He freezes at first, thoughts racing inside his head and his heart thumping. _You’ve got this, Sanji_ , he chants to himself like a magic spell before coming up to the counter. He doesn’t stutter, orders a vanilla shake once more (he prepared himself for that one) and scrapes the counter top with his nails just a bit when the guy nods with that nonchalant smile again. Sanji realises he’s doomed.

He’s doomed because there’s no way he’s gonna say anything more than “hi, vanilla shake, yes, bye”. He is on auto-pilot every time he comes up to the restaurant, scared that if he breaks the code, he will start muttering, or even worse, tells the man how freaking handsome he is. So he keeps coming back, mostly ordering a vanilla shake, sometimes agreeing to a new burger or two sets of french fries for a price of one. Later on he stuffs himself angrily with the food, staring at the table and reprimanding himself for not asking for the guy’s name.

When Sanji appears at the counter again, the green-haired boy is all smiles and already clicking on the cash register. Sanji grows silent, because his pre-made set of answers is useless if the guy already knows what he wants. _Oh_.

The blond feels his ears getting hot and pulls his eyebrows together at the sudden realisation. The man on the other side of the counter really remembers what he always orders. This is exciting and nerve-wracking for Sanji all at the same time and he holds onto the counter to keep balance.

“If I worked at a cafe I would have known your name by now” the man chuckles and looks at Sanji playfully. His mouth opens at the speed of light.

“Sanji”

“Huh?” the green-hair sticks out on the right side of the guy’s head after he ruffled it in confusion.

“The name. It’s Sanji”

Sanji can’t believe he is off autopilot and he is doing this great so far. At least that’s what he thinks, judging by the way the fast food worker’s eyes shone for a brief second and soon a smirk spread out on his face.

“Sanji. I’m Zoro”

Sanji would be a huge liar if he didn’t admit he smiled for the rest of the day.

He would be a huge liar too if he said his heart didn’t skip a beat when he arrived at the mall as usual and Zoro wasn’t there. He’s standing at the counter dumbfounded, his mouth agape as he tries to look over the shoulder of the long-nosed worker and into the kitchen. No sight of green anywhere near. Is he sick? Did he quit? He’s always there around this time, Sanji worries his bottom lip between his teeth as he keeps scanning the surroundings of the restaurant. The curly-haired man in front of him takes a look behind himself, checking if there’s a ghost or a fire behind him that got the guy so petrified before looking back at him with his brow furrowed.

“Can I help you?” the worker asks and Sanji finally focuses on him.

“No, I’m fine” he lets his shoulders roll down dejectedly and walks away. For a second he thought that hey, maybe he and Zoro could actually talk, now that he knows the guy’s name. Sure, their conversations didn’t change much after that, but Zoro always knew what to get him before he even uttered a word and would always say his name with that deep voice. Sanji pulls out a cigarette when he’s outside and lets out a long puff of smoke. That’s bullshit.

It’s bullshit that Sanji is back there a week later, around the same time and with the same long-nosed guy behind the counter, the one who is definitely not Zoro. Sanji has hoped that maybe it was a one-time thing and Zoro would be back to work but it’s not the case. Still, Sanji has spent every night of the last week, thinking and arranging every possible outcome in his head and he came up with a conclusion that there’s nothing to lose for him. He’s gonna ask the new guy about Zoro and see how it looks.

“Hello, what can I get for you?” the man asks politely, a curl of black hair falling onto his forehead and he tries to move it away by blowing upwards. To no avail.

“Is Zoro still working here?” Sanji cuts to the chase, his eyes round and hopeful. The worker looks at him surprised at first before narrowing his eyes.

“How do you know Zoro?”

Sanji plays with a cigarette inside his pocket.

“I’m… A friend”

That short pause seems suspicious to the guy and he rubs his nose thoughtfully before sighing loudly.

“Look, man, I don’t know if I can tell you this stuff. I don’t know you”

There goes Sanji’s last hope but he can’t be mad. This man really doesn’t know him and it wouldn’t be responsible to talk about Zoro and his current situation with a complete stranger. As far as this new guy knows, he could be some sort of a stalker (and he wouldn’t be that far off with that guess).

Sanji shows a soft smile to the guy and nods gently. He thinks it’s stupid that he let himself have such a crush on a guy he barely knew a name of. It’s obvious he would get over it sooner or later but it still hurts and he wishes there’s anything he could do to feel better. At least he knows he’s tried everything and he’s hopefully not holding the queue when standing at the counter like a dummy.

“Yo, Usopp, can you get me two vanilla shakes?”

Sanji looks up at the new worker fast and when their eyes meet, he sends him a smirk before he turns around and gets the shakes ready. There’s no way Sanji wouldn’t recognise the voice coming from his left but he’s too nervous to look that way. He’s sure Zoro is wearing one of his shit-eating smirks anyway. Usopp comes back fairly quickly and actually laughs at Sanji’s tense, frozen state. The blond man would strangle him if he could just will his limbs to move.

“Here are your shakes” Usopp slides the two cups in Zoro’s direction and Sanji follows the movement before slowly raising his gaze and looking at the man standing at his side, one hand on the counter, supporting his weight on one side coolly. Shit, the guy is so annoyingly handsome.

“Wanna drink with me?” Zoro is wearing that shit-eating grin on his face, just like Sanji predicted, and he can’t help but smile back. The green-haired man really ordered what he’s been always getting and he really appeared here around the time Sanji usually came over. If that’s not enough proof even for Sanji then he’s damned. Zoro is waving the straw in Sanji’s direction and he takes the invitation. If Zoro really wants to meet him again though, he better take him to a proper restaurant.


End file.
